The Premier has dismissed calls for him to stand down by Liberal MP Rob Johnson

The Premier Colin Barnett has dismissed calls by Liberal MP Rob Johnson for him to resign.

Mr Johnson has been an outspoken critic of the Premier ever since he was dumped from Cabinet in the lead up to the last election.

He has told the ABC's 7.30 program, it is time for Mr Barnett to go.

"I think the latest Newspoll shows that he's not exactly flavour of the month and he may becoming a liability to the Liberal Party," he said.

"It is time for a change, or a re-allocation as I think he likes to put it."

Mr Johnson said he got over being dumped from cabinet a long time ago.

He denied he was running a campaign against Mr Barnett and said he was now concentrating on other issues.

"I am not interested in history, I am interested in today and tomorrow," he said.

"What I'm doing now is concentrating on what I believe is a really serious issue and that is our state debt."

He said the interest paid on state debt was more than WA spent on its police force.

"I am unhappy we are running our government by spin, deception and diversion, that is wrong and I like the truth to be told, we're not getting that at the moment."

Mr Johnson said he would not quit the party because he was a true Liberal.

"I'm what you might call a right-wing Liberal with a social conscience."

Mr Johnson has vowed to continue speaking openly.

The Premier says he will not be resigning any time soon and is disappointed by Mr Johnson's comments.

"He is a member of the Liberal Party. You can speak your mind in the Liberal Party, but I would rather Rob was more of a team player at the moment to be honest," Mr Barnett said.

"He's had a good parliamentary career and I wish him well, but I'd prefer he worked a bit more within the team."

The State Opposition says Mr Johnson's latest attack on the Premier is a sign of a government that's become chaotic and dysfunctional.

The Labor leader Mark McGowan says while Mr Johnson is the only one to express his views publicly, he believes other Liberals share the same opinion.

"I think Mr Johnson is saying what a lot of Liberal Party people are saying and that is that the government has lost its way, it is addicted to spin, it has presided over a range of disasters and it has lost the Triple A credit rating," Mr McGowan said.